Friends
by Mackcpd
Summary: Det. Erin Lindsay's life is full of ups and downs. What if she had a friend who puts things in a perspective. Friend with a similar problems but different solutions. Because if you don't have a normal family at least you deserve a really good friend.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"When was the last time you heard from her?"

It was already dark outside only the electric lights made the streets of Chicago bright and shiny. Sgt. Hank Voight sat at the table in his office and one of the detectives of his Intelligence Unit Erin Lindsay just closed the doors and sat across from him.

"Couple of months ago right after her brothers funeral when she quit her job at the FBI. She wasn't in a good shape, Hank. I'm sure things got even worse since then."

"Pulpo was her case. We could really use her help. Grab Halstead and find her."

"Hank, I ..."

"She's your best friend, Erin. You will get through to her."

"So where are we going?"

"To find an ex FBI agent who worked on the Pulpo case."

Lindsay and Halstead were on their way to the apartment building near Northwestern University. There was a two room flat which was rented by Superintendent of CPD John Mcallister himself. That was his old apartment when he studied at Northwestern University long time ago. When he met his wife Jean they moved to the house and started their family there but even with a morgage payments and every day expenses he kept his little apartment near University. Good for that because Mcallister family was a family of four kids who wanted to go to the college and didn't want to live with their parents forever even if they couldn't afford to live on their own.

"Does this agent have a name?"

"Elizabeth Mcallister."

"As one of the Superintendents kids?"

"Yes."

"Her brother died not so long ago. There are rumors that she quit her job because of that."

"I can tell you Halstead those rumors are right. Lizzy did quit her job because of that."

"Lizzy?"

Lindsay stopped the car in the parking lot right next to the building. They went inside upstairs to the third floor. Lindsay knocked the door of the apartment 3D.

"Liz open up, it's me Erin."

Door opened so fast that Halstead moved a few steps back. There was standing a young woman wearing a sweatpants and a hoodie. She looked tired and smelled like a hangover but other than that she was very attractive – tall, with deep dark grey eyes and long brown hair now in a messy ponytail.

"How many times I need to tell you that I don't need your help or advice or a shoulder to cry on or whatever you want. Go away Erin!"

She was talking in a aggressive tone but that didn't stop Lindsay of pushing her way inside of the apartment. Halstead just looked at both women and followed inside. Apartment wasn't clean. Pizza boxes and beer bottles were everywhere.

"Liz why are you doing this to yourself?"

"I see that you brought someone with you. Looks too shy for a boyfriend so he must be your partner. So ask what you need and get out."

"This is det. Jay Halstead and yes, he is my partner. Jay, meet Lizzy Mcallister one of the best investigators of this country who as you can see are not in a good mood right now."

"Erin seriously what do you want?"

"Pulpo is back in Chicago and is cuting people heads off. Our Intelligence Unit is investigating this case and we could really use your help."

"I'm not a cop anymore. I can't help you."

"Yeah, I can see that. Also I know that this can last forever because you are so damn stubborn and self centered that you can feel sorry for yourself for a long time and not give a shit about your family, friends and your job. You can keep drinking or do whatever you want but I know you Lizzy Mack. I know that you want to finish the case and I know that Pulpo slipped away in the last minute and you were so pissed about it that you almost went to Colombia after him. Now is the chance to finish this so get your act together and come catch your bad guy."

Mack slowly turned away from both detectives. Erin went closer to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"It's been three months. I need your help and you back in my life."

Mack turned back and looked Erin in the eyes. A slow nod and and an ok in a whisper made Lindsay to smile a little and to start to move to the door. Halstead again didn't say anything just followed.

"District 21. Ask for me. Just before you come to the precinct take a shower, ok?"

Halstead was quick to close the door because a pillow was flying in a direction where they were standing a moment ago. Back in the car Halstead decided that Lindsay will start to talk eventually but she quietly started the car.

"So what was that about?"

"Meaning?"

"Looked like this wasn't the first time you met. To be honest it looked like you have a past."

"So?"

"Come on! How long do you know each other?"

"Ok. Lizzy and I know each other since highschool. We been best friends pretty much since then. Went to police academy together and started to work together - became detectives. Then she got a job offer from FBI and I started to work in Intelligence."

"Yeah, I can imagine you two against the whole world."

"You couldn't be more right."

"Why?"

"It's a long story."

"I have time."

"No, you don't. We need to work."

"Give me something. Please?"

"Another time Halstead, another time."

They got to the District and went upstairs. Lindsay went straight to the Voights office.

"How did it go?"

"She will help. Promised to be here soon."

Lindsay already started to move to the bullpen when Voight took a deep breath and told: "Don't let the past mess with you two."

"Which past? Mine or Lizzy's?"

"Both."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 ** _Thirteen years ago_**

St. Ignatius High School was one of the best private schools in Chicago. Unfortunately social life there was the same – bullies, popular kids, outsiders, jocks and smart kids. Lizzy Mcallister was one of the popular ones. She played in the girls basketball team was smart and pretty and a cops daughter so everybody respected her. Not to mention that she had an older brother who is a senior and a sister who already graduated and now was in the college, living in their dads old apartment not to far from Northwestern University.

It was a Monday morning. Last week there was an incident with Stephanie and her cheerleader crew and a new girl. Lizzy saw the fight and in the weekend thought about it a lot. She didn't like Stephanie or any of her friends because they spread lies and rumors about everyone but this information was huge. Dad's in prison and mom's a junkie. How that girl even got to this school? St. Ignatius was a smart, rich and powerful people school. Her dad was on his way to become Superintendent so the school was more than welcome to educate all his kids. Lizzy went into the classroom and saw the new girl in the last seat in the row by the window.

"Good morning! Today we will try to get to know each other through a different perspective. It will be an assignment in pairs. The window row will pick a tag with a name and that will be your pair for the lesson. There will be three questions, you need to answer to each. At the end you have to write a short essay how the opinion about the person changed. You can go and talk outside of the classroom. Use all the campus just don't go outside of it. Lets go!"

Lizzy was barely listening still in her thoughts when the new girl came to her and started talking: "Hey! I got your name on the tag."

"Right. The task. Ok, where should we go?"

"Whatever."

"Hey, you could change an attitude!"

"Why? Let's just get over with the task and go away."

"How did you get into this school?"

"It is not one of the questions so it is not your buissness"

"No it's not. I'm just curious. Sorry. Your name is Erin right or it's not my buissness too?"

"Yeah, it's Erin. Let's stay here."

While talking girls walked outside and just got to the tennis courts. Freshman year was practising serve.

"Tell me a secret."

"What?"

"That is the first question. Tell me a secret."

"I think all my secrets got out last week from Stephanie so I'm good."

"That doesn't count. Ok, I'll start. My dad is a cop."

"Everyone knows that."

"Let me finish. He is a very good cop, on his way to the top but he is a terrible father. He pushes us to become cops and to be his little prefect kids. My oldest sister Emily is fine with that. She lives in his old apartment, studies law in Northwestern and after that will go to the Police Academy. My brother Ed who is senior here is fine with that too. My little brother Ethan is too small to even have an opinion but I am so not fine with it. Just once in a life I want to have a choice. And a proper conversation with dad would be good too. It's like an army at home and I hate it. So the secret is that the perfect Mcallister family is nothing more than five people living under one man's orders."

"I'm sorry for that but to be honest the other side is not much better. All my life I had a choice to do things my way but if you don't have the money or a warm room where to live having a choice doesn't help. I'll tell you a secret. I have a little brother too but I don't know where he is. Some family took him in a foster care just like I am right now. They went to New York so I don't know anything. I really miss him."

"That must suck."

"It does."

The girls talked and talked. Next question was about the future and a final one asked about the dreams.

"So will you be a cop one day? Just like your father wants to?"

"I guess. I really computers and programming. I could do that, be an investigator from the inside and do all that IT stuff."

"No running after bad guys?" Erin chuckled, "I thought you like to run."

"After boys maybe but not after some ugly criminals."

Both started to laugh at the same time. The bell rang and they went back to the school building. Erin murmured to herself: "Back to reality."

Lizzy heard that but didn't say anything just thought that sometimes life really is unfair. Erin is a great person but everything around her is just bad.

Next lesson was the biology.

"Good morning! I know you already had one task in pairs in social studies so let's do another one only this time you will have a choice to choose your partners and you will not talk. You will make some science."

A girl from the basketball team Katie came to Lizzy and sat right next to her but Lizzy spotted Erin again in the last seat in the window row.

"Hey, Katie! I think I'm gonna do this task with Erin."

"With who?"

Lizzy just got up and went to the end of the class.

"Mind if I join you?"

"You sure?"

Lizzy looked at the other classmates who looked shocked and suprised.

"Never been more sure about anything in my life."

 ** _Now_**

Mack was staring at the interrogation between Erin and a young girl named Nadia. She felt that something wasn't right. It wasn't with the information but with the emotions. Interrogation finished and Erin stormed out to the bullpen.

"She is not much of a help. Just told some guys name."

"We can work with that. Hey Mack, you're good with information right?"

But Mack didn't hear Antonio's comment. She was deep in her thoughts. She started to work with Intelligence Unit right after Willhite died. Voight thought she could be a great asset especially because of her computer skills and quick ways of how to analyse information. And she really helped with Pulpo's case. They found him, arrested him and got Antonio's son back. Real trouble was getting her badge back because that meant a meeting with her father.

 _"Erin Lindsay works at the Intelligence."_

 _"Yeah, she was the one who asked for my help. I was familiar with the case and she just saw my name there on the file."_

 _"And she was the one who offered you a job?"_

 _"Of course not. Voight asked me."_

 _"Lizzy don't get me wrong. I was waiting for this day since Ed died. You asking for a job, getting back on the force. But are you sure that Intelligence is the right fit for you?"_

 _"It's the best unit in the force so I am sure."_

 _"I'm just worried."_

 _"About what?" Mack started to get really angry._

 _"Every time when Erin Lindsay comes back into youre life you end up in a deep trouble."_

 _"I'm not a teenager anymore."_

 _"You were not a teenager at the Police Academy as well."_

 _"Enough! I had an offer from Intelligence. I saw them in action. I want to work there. So please just give me my badge back and we can go back to not having proper conversations for the rest of our lives."_

Erin was getting emotional with this girl and reading about her background and everything Mack started to understand why.

"Yes Antonio, I'lll start to look for Noel."

She saw Erin go to the break room and decided that she needs coffee too. Mack closed the door and went straight to Lindsay.

"That girl she's not you, you know."

"Thanks Liz. Try to keep that in mind."

"You could really go with the wave and call me Mack. Everyone in my family when they become cops are called that way."

"Sorry, I'll stick to Lizzy. Besides when you decided that you want something from your family? I'll thought you wanted to be different."

Mack felt that Erin was aggressive so she decided that it's not worth of a fight so she just started to move back to the bullpen.

"Right! When conversation gets to your family you just go away!" Erin practically yelled at Mack.

"It is just a nickname. Clear your head Erin. You are obviosly not thinking straight."

At the end of the day they found a criminal and Mack went to the back because she left her car there. At the stairs she stopped. She heard voices and saw Erin talking to the girl in the cage. Erin looked at the girl with a soft eyes and helped her up. They went to the Lindsay's car and drove away. Mack got to her own car and went straight to the Erin's apartment building. On the way she stopped at the store and bought a six pack and a bottle of Jack Daniels. She sat on the floor beside apartment 310 and started to wait. She thought about all those cars which took away people she cared about and all those cars which took away herself from the people she cared about. After an hour Lindsay got to her apartment.

"What are you doing here?"

"Saw you with Nadia and decided that you need a shot and a beer or two."

"And a company?"

"Of course. You can't drink alone. That is the first step to the alcoholism."

"O yeah, you know all about that. Trust me, I can handle myself so you can go home."

"It was a week ago, right? You told me, you know me and you want me back in you life so here I am because I know you too and I know that this case brought up some bad memories. Trust me not just for you but for me too. So maybe we can share a drink and a friend because I could really use a little bit of both right now."

"You didn't need me when Ed died."

Mack became quiet for a moment: "That was a huge mistake and we all make mistakes. You know that better that anyone."

Erin opened the door and left it open so Mack can go inside too. They sat on the couch for a long moment just having a beer and thinking.

"I can't call you Mack."

"What?"

"We have a past long before you became a cop not to mention I really don't like your dad and he created this nickname."

"You are aware that my dad is our boss and he really don't like you too?"

"What a shame! So I never will please my boss?"

Mack started to laugh and a second later Erin joined. It was a long time ago when both of them just sat there and laughed but it felt right and good. Exactly like the first time when they were looking at the freshmen class in the tennis courts and talking about secrets, dreams and future.


End file.
